FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128  
129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   >>   >|  
king the flies from their discoloured meat. "Buy! buy! buy!" they all shouted together. A dense throng of the poor passed between them in torn jellabs and soiled turbans, and haggled and bought. Asses and mules crushed through amid shouts of "Arrah!" "Arrah!" and "Balak!" "Ba-lak!" It was a lively scene, with more than enough of bustle and swearing and vociferation. There was more than enough of lying and cheating also, both practised with subtle and half-conscious humour. Inside a booth for the sale of sugar in loaf and sack a man sat fingering a rosary and mumbling prayers for penance. "God forgive me," he muttered, "_God forgive me, God forgive me,_" and at every repetition he passed a bead. A customer approached, touched a sugar loaf and asked, "How much?" The merchant continued his prayers and did his business at a breath. "(_God forgive me_) How much? (_God forgive me_) Four pesetas (_God forgive me_)," and round went the restless rosary. "Too much," said the buyer; "I'll give three." The merchant went on with his prayers, and answered, "(_God forgive me_) Couldn't take it for as much as you might put in your tooth (_God forgive me_); gave four myself (_God forgive me_)." "Then I'll leave it, old sweet-tooth," said the buyer, as he moved away. "Here! take it for nothing (_God forgive me_)," cried the merchant after the retreating figure. "(_God forgive me_) I'm giving it away (_God forgive me_); I'll starve, but no matter (_God forgive me_), you are my brother (_God forgive me, God forgive me, God forgive me_)." Israel bought the bread and the meat, the raisins and the figs which the prisoners needed--enough for the present and for many days to come. Then he hired six mules with burdas to bear the food to Shawan, and a man two days to lead them. Also he hired mules for himself and Ali, for he knew full well that, unless with his own eyes he saw the followers of Absalam receive what he had bought, no chance was there, in these days of famine, that it would ever reach them. And, all being ready for his short journey, he set out in the middle of the day, when the sun was highest, hoping that the town would then be at rest, and thinking to escape observation. His expectation was so far justified that the market-place, when he came to it again, with his little caravan going before him, was silent and deserted. But, coming into the walled lane to the Bab Toot, the gate at which the Shawan road enters, he encountere
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128  
129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
forgive
 

prayers

 

bought

 

merchant

 

rosary

 
Shawan
 
passed
 

followers

 
receive
 

famine


chance

 

Absalam

 
needed
 

present

 
prisoners
 

Israel

 
raisins
 
discoloured
 

burdas

 

silent


caravan

 

market

 

deserted

 

enters

 

encountere

 

coming

 

walled

 

justified

 

middle

 

brother


journey

 
highest
 

hoping

 

observation

 

expectation

 
escape
 

thinking

 
muttered
 

repetition

 
shouts

mumbling
 

penance

 
customer
 
haggled
 

turbans

 

continued

 
soiled
 

crushed

 
approached
 

touched